New Rig Designed for Heavy Dockside Lifts

Below-the-hook equipment manufacturer Modulift and Siemens Heat
Transfer Technology B.V. combined forces to design a special rig
for lifting modules that weighed nearly 200t apiece. Modulift
sent two rigs for on- and off-load in Korea and Thailand
respectively-a total of 16 no. 34t capacity MOD 34 beams in
addition to slings, shackles, tie-plates and other rigging gear.

The two vertical Benson-type Heat Recovery Steam Generators (or
HRSGs) first needed to be lifted aboard a vessel for
transportation to the 1,300MW South Bangkok phase one
combined-cycle power plant located 20km south of Bangkok in the
Samut Prakan province, Thailand. Siemens is part of a consortium
serving the $550m project, an initiative of the Government of
Thailand's Power Development Plan, which aims to improve the
reliability of the country's power system and introduce clean
power generation facilities.

The HRSG-modules are the largest Siemens HTT has ever
constructed, which presented a rigging challenge given the
dimensions involved.

Supply manager at Siemens HTT Dennis De Jong said, "Alternative
lifting solutions also wouldn't have been able to handle the
weight of the generators so we had to be innovative and combine
our knowledge about the load[s] with Modulift's below-the-hook
expertise. The result was a mix of the old and the new with an
existing beam rigged above the new beams beneath. The use of wire
rope slings was also carefully planned to ensure maximum safety
and efficiency."

Account executive at Modulift Chris Schwab said, "Siemens wanted
to utilize the same pick points so we were steered towards the
eight-beam solution; we added another layer to the rig. Above
each beam, a sling was rigged at either end at a 55-degree angle
to a [18t SWL] tie-plate; between the plates, a 17t [SWL] tie
grommet sling provided stability and attached our rig to their
beam."

As a primary energy source, steam fulfills many important
functions. HRSGs are important components of many power plants,
because they substantially increase a plant's overall efficiency,
and help to minimize the fuel costs.